My Writing Process
Hey Friends!
I decided I wanted to share something about writing to encourage other future authors to write and write often. This blog is pretty much just your average Q&A, but my hope is that I will be able to encourage you to pursue a craft that often seems out of reach and even unrealistic at times. I hope you finish reading this blog feeling encouraged. If you have a dream to write something big – YOU CAN DO IT.
Now onto the Q&A…
I think writing is a really underestimated craft. I think that people don’t understand what goes into formulating sentences and paragraphs and chapters. Over the course of the last several months I have had so many people ask about my writing process: How long it took me to write Worth It, how I prepped for it, etc. This blog is meant to answer those questions in depth, in an attempt to help anyone who wants to further their writing in a big way.
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I think Elizabeth Gilbert, author of “Eat, Pray, Love”, said it best when she explained that passion and inspiration are not emotions that you can chase while writing. Passion and inspiration are fleeting and cannot be relied upon if you want to truly produce a project of great magnitude. Instead, as a writer you must rely on consistency and curiosity. Within the contents of, “Worth It”, you will find blood, sweat and tears embedded in the pages…we’ll call that consistency.
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Q – What is your writing process?
A – My writing process consists of a quite a bit of pre writing. I mentally organize my thoughts and ideas and then I put everything in an outline. I outline potential chapters and sub ideas for each chapter. A few years ago I was gifted a mint Moleskine notebook for my birthday, and that became a bit of a manuscript for me. All outlines, chapter ideas and subjects I wanted to cover were written down and organized within that notebook. I think the prewriting process is more efficient when you sit down and really organize your thoughts and ideas. There is something about physically writing down your ideas that is very exciting. It makes everything very real. It adds a bit of magic to a normally grueling process. Once your “manuscript” has bloodlines, you know you’re making progress. (By bloodlines I mean scribbles, scratches, comments and everything that falls in between – the stuff that isn’t Insta-worthy.)
The processes of writing a blog and writing a book are entirely different. You cannot prep for for a book in the same manner that you would a blog. When attempting to write a blog I typically rely on inspiration. I get an idea, and if I know I won’t remember it later, I will speak text it into the notes section of my phone. Then as soon as I possibly can, I will make my way to my computer where I can type as fast as humanly possible before the inspiration goes as quickly as it came.
Q – How much work went into writing a book?
A - I think the key to writing something of great length is to force yourself to write when you are completely and utterly out of ideas. Relying solely on inspiration will get you nowhere…fast. If you only rely on inspiration, you’ll quickly realize you’re not quite as creative as you thought you were. Having an idea is important, its essential, but it’s just a starting point. What follows is an immense amount of work: Writing, and rewriting, scrapping everything until only the bones of a chapter are left, and then beginning again. It’s all part of the process. For the last six months I spent writing Worth It, I would carve out time in my crazy schedule and force myself to go to a coffee shop by myself for 4-5 hours and simply write. I would schedule writing sessions by myself and force myself to write something, even if I began with no inspiration or motivation whatsoever. That’s what makes writing a craft. A craft must be honed and tweaked and built upon. Writing is that for me. I’ll never truly believe something I’ve written is good enough, but eventually you reach a point where it flows. If the writing flows, of the words string together well, you’ve done your job.
Q - How long did it take you to write the book?
A- I had the Title, Worth It, for two years. Like I’ve said in the book, I really believe God gave me the title, but I didn’t really know what content the book would encompass. The year before I published Worth It, I had about 40 pages written. Six months later, when I put a due date on the project I decided to scrap the 40 pages and start fresh. So although I had the concept for two years, it took me six months of consistent writing to actually write all of the content. And even once everything was written and finished, I second guessed myself so many times. There were so many times when I wanted to scrap it all, when I wanted to completely remove myself from the process, and not have a million ideas swirling around in my head, and not put myself out there for all the world to see, but...that leads me right into the next question.
Q – What kind of support did you need for the project?
A – My support system while writing Worth It was absolutely unbelievable. I don’t even truly feel worthy of that kind of support, but it happened. Blake encouraged me every single day to write. In fact, he asked me every single day if I had written something that day. He really was my rock throughout the whole process. My writing mentor, Johanna Preissler was unreal. She edited my entire book in 48 hours, offered constant support, met me for coffee, bought me coffee, all in addition to listening to me drone on and on about potential book chapters. My friend, Steven Gill helped me so much in the production of the book. He proof read my manuscript multiple times to ensure that it was Biblically sound. Sam Aleman was an integral part of the design and graphics process. He helped me decide what style truly reflected my personal vibe. He also created my promo video! My friend Alora Brown isn’t a writer but truly was such a constant source of encouragement. She met me so many times purely to make sure I was doing okay. She always gives the best advice. My friend, Jina McCool wrote my forward and offered so much support and kindness. My parents were incredible. They have supported and invested in a girl with a weird dream forever, and I’m so grateful they did.
There’s a quote that says, “We are made of all those who have built and broken us”.
I am eternally grateful for those who have built me.
Q – Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
A – You probably don’t feel credible, if I had to guess. I know this because I did not feel credible to write a book like Worth It. I just didn’t. There are parts of me that still don’t. What I do know is this: There is someone who desperately needs what you have to say. Words can be thorns or words can be healing balm. Choose. Choose the latter. Choose to do something out of the ordinary entirely for the benefit of someone else.
Hemmingway, a personal favorite of mine, said something about writing that has resonated with me for as long as I can remember. He said, “Write hard and clear about what hurts”. This became a bit of a mantra for me. There are so many ways that people channel both pain and inspiration: mine is writing, and it always has been. If you can take your pain, your trials, your insecurities and produce something lasting, something encouraging, you have allowed Christ to work through you in massive, powerful way. You have made an imprint on the world that reflects Him. And that, my friends, is a beautiful, beautiful thing.
So, go. Write your heart out, my friends. It’s worth it.
PS: If you ever have a question, please don’t hesitate to ask, I love answering questions and helping in any way that I possibly can.